Chapter 6
After school on October 15, 2096, a subdued buzz spread through many parts of First High School, distinct from the noise generated by preparations for the thesis competition two weeks away.
The topic at its center was an unexpected visitor: a famous alumna whom the second- and third-year students knew well, and whom almost every first-year had heard of.
That visitor, Saegusa Mayumi, had already been shown to a reception room for guests. The school had decided to receive her not as its former student council president, but as a daughter of the Saegusa Family, one of the Ten Master Clans. Tatsuya was the only one there to receive her. She had asked for him by name.
"Sorry, Tatsuya. But I thought First High School would be the most convenient place..."
Mayumi probably bowed her head as she said this because she had noticed the commotion outside. Her particular skill lay in seeing, not hearing; it wasn't that she had overheard the students' chatter. Still, anyone could have guessed from the furtive glances she had received on her way to the reception room that she was now the object of everyone's curiosity.
"No, please don't worry about it."
Tatsuya was aware that they had become the seeds of rumors. But his answer was neither an attempt to comfort Mayumi nor to reassure her. Granted, he had to prepare himself for seventy-five days of depressing rumors because Mayumi had come to school. Even so, it was better than having her come to his house. There were mountains of things in Tatsuya's house that he didn't want the other Ten Master Clans to see. Of course, none of them were left lying around carelessly, but when it came to Mayumi's eyes, he couldn't ignore the risk of her discovering something by chance.
If Mayumi had business with Tatsuya, coming to school should have been more convenient for her than paying his home an unexpected visit. Finding out where he lived would have been easy for her, and Mayumi had more reason than Tatsuya to be wary of groundless gossip. Even so, she had come to school to see him, so she must have been thinking of him. Tatsuya could understand that much.
"Um...how have you been?"
Unusually, Mayumi seemed very nervous.
That was what Tatsuya thought upon hearing those words, which were neither a greeting nor an introduction. Or perhaps it was something she found difficult to bring up.
At this rate, they would likely waste their time. Concerned about that, Tatsuya decided to create an opening himself.
"For this year's thesis competition, I'm mainly responsible for security at the venue on the day, so I'm not that busy."
"I-is that so? I thought you'd be chosen as one of the presenters, Tatsuya, so I'm a little surprised..."
"Yes. So, depending on what it is, I might be able to help you."
It never occurred to Tatsuya that Mayumi had simply come to see him. They weren't close enough for "I wanted to see you, so I came" to be an acceptable reason for a visit. They couldn't be called a mere senior and junior either, but precisely because of that, she must have had some definite purpose in coming to him.
"...You're right. There's no point wasting time."
Hesitation flashed through Mayumi's eyes again. But as she had said, continuing like this would only waste time, and both she and Tatsuya had a limited amount of free time. She had come to see him for a reason, so she couldn't very well leave dejectedly without saying anything.
"Tatsuya, do you remember Mr. Nagura?"
"Yes. What happened to him was very regrettable."
"Thank you for your concern... So you know about Mr. Nagura, Tatsuya."
"I saw it in the local news."
"I see... Were you gathering local information for security at the thesis competition venue?"
"Well, something like that."
"...Then."
Mayumi's brief silence was her attempt to cut through her uncertainty over whether to bring up the matter she wanted to ask him about.
"Do you know how Mr. Nagura died?"
"Only that he was murdered."
"After all, nothing more than that has been made public."
Mayumi's wry smile was unexpectedly frank.
"That's right. Someone murdered Mr. Nagura. As for me, I don't know who it was either."
At Mayumi's choice of words, a faintly questioning look appeared on Tatsuya's face.
"'As for me'?"
"My father..."
Mayumi stopped there. But she had already cast aside her hesitation.
"My father knows who killed Mr. Nagura."
Tatsuya couldn't help feeling surprised.
"Did he tell you that?"
"No. But my father knows that fact, or at least I'm certain he has some idea. Mr. Nagura went to Kyoto on my father's orders, for some secret work."
"He went to Kyoto for secret work..."
In terms familiar to Tatsuya, it was "work in the shadows"-illegal work, or something close to it.
"He didn't tell me that outright either. Father only said it was 'a job.' He said I 'didn't need to know.'"
"I see."
That was the same as saying he had sent Nagura to do work in the shadows. Tatsuya interpreted it to mean that Saegusa Kouichi probably hadn't intended to hide it, either.
"So what do you intend to do, senpai?"
The question was by no means unexpected to Mayumi. Still, Tatsuya's direct words, combined with the way he looked straight into her eyes, flustered her a little.
But Mayumi didn't bow her head and fall silent. Driven by a sense of responsibility like a sense of mission, or perhaps a sense of duty, she met his gaze.
"I want to know the truth."
"You want to find the culprit?"
"-Yes, that's right."
There was a slight delay before she answered. But it didn't reflect Mayumi's hesitation; she was holding back her impatience.
"To be honest, Mr. Nagura and I were never close."
Tatsuya silently showed his surprise at Mayumi's admission. But he didn't interrupt. He urged her to continue with his eyes.
"To Mr. Nagura, I was only someone he dealt with for work. And I only thought of him as my supervisor and bodyguard."
"Even so, you still want to find the culprit? I don't think there's much to gain from it."
Tatsuya provoked Mayumi a little.
She responded with an angry look.
"Please don't misunderstand. I'm not saying this out of some naive sentiment."
"Then why?"
"My bodyguard lost his life because of an order from the Saegusa Family. I understand that he wasn't ordered to die, but if he was given a mission where that was highly likely, the result is the same. I don't want to turn my back on that fact. As a member of the Saegusa Family, I want to at least know the truth of what happened."
"That's admirable."
Tatsuya let out a breath as he said it.
Mayumi raised her slender eyebrows.
"But-"
She was about to speak, but Tatsuya cut in first, his voice cold.
"In the end, that's still just self-satisfaction. You must understand that too, senpai."
"I know. But what's wrong with self-satisfaction?"
She wasn't being reckless. She spoke again with such determination in her voice that even Tatsuya couldn't immediately think of a rebuttal.
"I can't accept letting it end like this. I can't satisfy myself. I can't hold my head high and say I'm the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family."
"...As the eldest daughter of the Saegusa Family?"
"That's right. For better or worse, that's my position. I can't run away from it. So I want to be able to say it with my head held high. Is that strange?"
"No. I don't think it's strange."
Mayumi's assertion made Tatsuya feel both envy and aversion.
I'm a direct descendant of the Yotsuba. Miyuki still couldn't introduce herself that way. She was forced to conceal her identity. Although Tatsuya didn't think being a member of the Yotsuba Family was something particularly wonderful or a source of pride, he felt it was sad to have to hide who she really was.
Compared with his sister, Mayumi, who could say she wanted to be proud of her origins, was someone Tatsuya thought both enviable and worthy of jealousy.
"I see. Then what do you want me to do, senpai? Even if you tell me to find the culprit, I don't have a detective's skills or anyone who can help with an investigation. I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you."
Apart from the feelings he ought to have had, however, Tatsuya sincerely believed he couldn't help. He himself had so few clues that he didn't even know where to begin looking for Zhou Gongjin, let alone track down a murderer whose name he didn't know.
"Wait!"
Even though Tatsuya had clearly refused, Mayumi rose from her seat and called out to stop him.
"The culprit is probably connected to the Yokohama Incident!"
Those words of hers were enough to keep Tatsuya on the sofa.
"You mean the Yokohama Incident?"
Tatsuya shouldn't have shown any surprise.
Yet Mayumi, for some reason, looked a little triumphant.
"Someone connected to last year's Yokohama Disturbance. Mr. Nagura had been searching in Chinatown recently."
She probably thought she had succeeded in attracting Tatsuya's interest. Although it was for a different reason than she imagined, there was no doubt she had interested him.
"I'm impressed you knew that."
"Whenever he left my side for something other than bodyguard work, he had a habit of buying me a souvenir afterward. Lately, a lot of them were souvenirs from Chinatown. I used to wonder if he thought of me as a little girl... But only now have I realized that Mr. Nagura might have been trying to leave me clues about what he was doing."
"I see."
Mayumi might not have realized it, but her words were full of clues.
Nagura's employer was Saegusa Kouichi. Even though Mayumi was the person his work concerned, she was a third party-an outsider-as far as his employment or business relationship was concerned.
He was a bodyguard for the eldest daughter and did work in the shadows-a subordinate trusted enough, at least, to be involved in work that couldn't be brought to light. Yet he had left an outsider clues about what he was doing.
Saegusa Kouichi didn't have complete control over his subordinates.
Or perhaps the Saegusa Family had no subordinates who could truly be called trusted confidants.
That might be of great significance in the future-
At that point, Tatsuya stopped thinking about the Saegusa Family's internal affairs.
"You may be right. Mr. Nagura did work connected to Yokohama's Chinatown. But I don't think that's grounds for saying it was connected to the Yokohama Disturbance."
At that moment, Tatsuya thought he could add Mayumi to his helpers. Though physically she was a weak young woman, her fighting ability had already been proven on the battlefield in Yokohama. And as a university student, she had more freedom with her time than Miyuki and Minami, who were still in high school.
His objection was only meant to calm Mayumi down first. He wanted to pour cold water on her overly optimistic mood and have her consider the possibility that she was mistaken. If she then asked for Tatsuya's help, he intended to accept.
"That's... Well, yes, but..."
She seemed to have considered the point Tatsuya had raised. Mayumi's attitude wavered.
"...Then do you think I'm reading too much into it when I say the culprit was connected to the Yokohama Disturbance, Tatsuya!?"
But that lasted only a few seconds. Mayumi's expression immediately changed, and she pressed Tatsuya with an almost willfully obstinate attitude.
"I didn't say that either."
Tatsuya gave Mayumi a polite smile to placate her.
"I only meant that if your preconceptions are too strong, it's easy to lose sight of the facts."
Mayumi gave off the impression of puffing out her cheeks... Having become a university student, it seemed she had enough restraint not to actually make that face.
"Isn't having preconceptions the same thing as reading too much into it...?"
Mayumi's mutter reached Tatsuya's ears clearly. But Tatsuya treated it as something she had said to herself. Specifically, he ignored it.
"...Of course I understand that much."
But she gave a proper answer to the words directed at her.
"Do you also understand that this is dangerous?"
Tatsuya had been waiting for a chance to say that.
"Yes. Even so, I can't stop myself from wanting to do something."
There was also a hint in Mayumi's answer that she felt she had no way to back down.
But that didn't matter to Tatsuya at all. Although it took the form of Mayumi strongly requesting his help and Tatsuya responding, it was exactly what he wanted.
"-I understand."
Mayumi let out a breath, relief showing on her face.
Although he didn't show it, Tatsuya felt relieved as well.
"What exactly would you like me to do?"
"Tatsuya, you're going to Kyoto to inspect the security arrangements, aren't you?"
"Yes, this Saturday."
"I'd like you to accompany me for a little while then. I want to see the place where Mr. Nagura was killed."
To the final question, Mayumi gave the answer he had expected.
"Is that all?"
Depending on the situation at the scene, Tatsuya intended to have Mayumi accompany him for more than just a little while.
But he shouldn't have asked that question.
"...Even I understand that much."
Though Tatsuya was cold-blooded and unfeeling, he could still be considerate of others' feelings when it concerned something unrelated to his own goals. Seeing someone fairly close to him become dejected because of his words didn't sit well with him.
"I'm still only a daughter of the Saegusa Family. I don't have any social influence of my own. My strength and talent as a magician are strictly personal; I can neither act in the police's place nor search for the culprit in their place."
Everything she said in her discouragement was true, and Tatsuya couldn't find anything to say to comfort her. He had been able to take revenge on No Head Dragon and deal with the invading army entirely because he had the support of the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion. His ability to intervene in the Parasite Doll Project had been largely thanks to Kokonoe Yakumo's assistance and the Movable Suits supplied by the Independent Magic-Equipped Battalion.
In neither case could Tatsuya have handled things so smoothly by himself. He had never forgotten that. Precisely because he had experienced the limits of an individual's power firsthand, he couldn't easily offer words of comfort.
"Just as you said at first, Tatsuya. In the end, this is still only my self-satisfaction. It may be foolish to take risks for something like that. But-"
"I understand."
Tatsuya repeated the same words, interrupting Mayumi.
"Then the twenty-first, Sunday. I'll leave the time and place up to you, senpai."
"...Thank you, Tatsuya."
Mayumi bowed deeply on the sofa.
"Then I'll email you the time and place tomorrow."
"One more thing. May I ask you something?"
With those words, Tatsuya stopped Mayumi as she was about to stand.
"Has Mr. Nagura's body already been cremated?"
"Oh, yes."
"Were the things he had on when he died kept? For example, the clothes he was wearing."
"The police said they would keep them as evidence, so they've been left as they were. Mr. Nagura's family hasn't come, so I thought they might help the police catch the culprit..."
"May I take a look at them?"
"...I'll try asking the detective who contacted my family."
Hearing Mayumi's answer, Tatsuya gave a slight nod.
Because she seemed to have something to say, Tatsuya prompted her to speak with a look.
"Sorry. I didn't expect you to be so eager to help..."
"Since I agreed to help, I'll do everything I can."
With that, Tatsuya rose from his seat before Mayumi could thank him again.
In that brief time, he had reconsidered and concluded that there was a significant possibility Zhou had killed Nagura. The hypothesis that Saegusa Kouichi had ordered Nagura Saburou to investigate Zhou Gongjin's circle on his own was by no means groundless. Since the possibility was not zero, there was even a chance the head of the Saegusa Family was in league with Zhou.
Tatsuya had asked to see Nagura's belongings because he thought they might contain a clue to finding Zhou Gongjin. It was nothing Mayumi needed to thank him for.
After seeing Mayumi to the front gate, Tatsuya headed to the student council room.
For some reason, not only the student council members and the current head of the disciplinary committee were there, but also the former president of the extracurricular activities association.
"Thank you for your hard work, brother."
"Ah, sorry I'm late."
Tatsuya waved Miyuki, who had risen with a smile, back into her seat, then sat down at the table himself. Though he noticed someone stealing glances at him, he made no move to react.
"Shiba-senpai."
The first person to speak to Tatsuya was Izumi, who, until he entered the student council room, had been locked in a battle with her terminal, her eyes fixed on it.
"Is there something you don't understand?"
On the surface, Tatsuya's question was a reasonable one. In truth, though, he had said it expecting someone to ask about the meeting that had just ended.
And there was no way that expectation could have been wrong.
"Has my esteemed sister-no, has my sister gone home already?"
"She has. Did you need something from her?"
"No, nothing. It's just, um, I was a little curious what important business my sister had that took up your time, senpai."
Izumi's words were an obvious pretext. She wanted to know what her sister and Tatsuya had talked about.
But if she tried questioning Tatsuya that way, he would only turn her pretext against her to change the subject.
"I'm sorry I made you worry. But there's no need for you to concern yourself with it, Izumi."
"I wasn't worried about you, senpai!"
As a result, Izumi shouted angrily. Then she turned red from the smiling looks the upperclassmen gave her.
Miyuki took over the questioning from Izumi, who had lowered her flushed face. Though she hadn't stolen a glance at her brother's expression, how could she possibly not care that Tatsuya and Mayumi had met alone? No, one could even say she was the one who cared most.
"Then, brother, what did you talk about with Saegusa-senpai? If you don't mind, could you tell me?"
After Miyuki asked, it felt as though everyone had pricked up their ears at once. Tatsuya looked around the room, and though some looked away while others held his gaze, everyone present was waiting for his answer.
"It seems senpai also happens to have business in Kyoto."
As Tatsuya answered, Izumi suddenly flinched. Her head was still lowered, so he couldn't see her expression, but it was easy to guess she was thinking of Nagura. Tatsuya, however, thought that being considerate of her or comforting her here would have the opposite effect. He continued as though he had noticed nothing.
"She said she wanted to go on the inspection with me next week. I refused because she didn't tell me what her business was, but she seemed rather serious."
Hearing Tatsuya's answer, with its altered conclusion, Hattori breathed a small sigh of relief. There was no doubt he had been concerned about that too.
Perhaps to cover it up, however, he deliberately pressed Tatsuya in a stern voice.
"Shiba, if you knew it was serious, why did you refuse? It may be an inspection of the security arrangements, but you're only going to look around the city, aren't you? There's no time limit, so going together shouldn't get in the way of anything."
Hearing this, Tatsuya thought that Hattori actually wanted to accompany senpai himself, and that being a serious young man was hard work. He had to take care to keep the corners of his mouth from lifting in a smile, one born not of mockery but of goodwill.
The criticism, however, did not end there.
"Tatsuya, I think so too."
Hattori's rebuke had been within Tatsuya's expectations, but even Honoka agreeing with him was more than he had anticipated.
"Even though Ichihara-senpai and Juumonji-senpai are at Magic University, senpai went out of her way to come to First High School. Doesn't that show she trusts you a great deal, Tatsuya?"
Unable to understand what Honoka was thinking, Tatsuya couldn't answer immediately.
It was hard to imagine what benefit Honoka would get from Tatsuya meeting Mayumi in Kyoto. If Miyuki had still been an outsider, he might have concluded that Honoka wanted to make use of Mayumi, but Miyuki was his own younger sister. And it was clear from Minami's usual attitude that she held Tatsuya in some regard.
Could it be-and thinking this might be very rude to Honoka-that she had spoken purely out of sympathy for Mayumi?
"Tatsuya, if all it takes is setting aside a little time, why not?"
"...I suppose so."
With even Mikihiko saying so, Tatsuya had to admit the situation was looking bad. Though Mikihiko didn't know that capturing Zhou Gongjin was the true objective, he was an accomplice in the operation to provoke the Traditionalists behind the Kyoto inspection trip. If he urged Tatsuya to help Mayumi, stubbornly refusing could arouse suspicion.
Besides, this development suited Tatsuya. If he had a reason to be with Mayumi, he wouldn't have to pretend their meeting was a coincidence.
He didn't actually have high expectations of how much she could help. Still, even one more person was better than none. What Tatsuya expected Mikihiko to do was not find Zhou Gongjin, but deal with him after he was found. Moreover, Maya's request was to "assist in the arrest," and if he couldn't find Zhou, there could be no question of arresting him, so he still needed to make a show of searching. For that, the more people involved, the more convincing it would look.
"I'll contact senpai and apologize while I'm at it. Izumi, you don't mind if I contact her, do you?"
"Why are you asking me?"
Izumi shot back in a slightly angry voice. She was quick to take Tatsuya's question as treating her like she had a sister complex.
"Because you're Saegusa-senpai's family, Izumi."
But a junior girl being in a bad mood was hardly enough to make Tatsuya back down.
"You don't need my permission. Please do as you like, senpai."
Hearing Tatsuya's thoroughly unendearing answer, Izumi turned her head away cutely.
In the former Yamanashi Prefecture, close to the border of the former Nagano Prefecture, an unnamed village lay in a narrow basin surrounded by mountains. This little mountain village, unmarked on any map, was the headquarters of the Yotsuba Family, infamous among those involved with magic throughout the world.
At the center of the village, on extensive grounds dotted with several independent buildings separate from the main house, stood the Yotsuba Family mansion, the largest single-story building. In one of its rooms, Yotsuba Maya, the mistress of the house, was listening to a report from her trusted butler, Hayama.
"...That is the account of the series of events in Nara."
"The National Defense Force Intelligence Department..."
A mocking smile appeared on Maya's bewitching red lips. Yet it was not vulgar in the least. If anything, it gave her an air of nobility.
"I have determined which unit intervened. If you find them a nuisance..."
"It's all right. The National Defense Force has its pride to consider too, doesn't it? They're a little bothersome, but let them be."
The old butler bowed respectfully to his arrogant mistress. Hayama had no doubts about Maya's dismissive attitude toward the National Defense Force.
"More importantly, what about Tatsuya?"
Maya's interest immediately shifted away from the National Defense Force. That said, she and Hayama had originally been discussing Tatsuya, so they were merely returning to the subject.
"He's been behaving himself so far, hasn't he?"
"Yes. He has made no particular attempt to conceal the new magic he is developing, either, and there are no signs of resistance."
"New magic... I've only heard that it's magic for close-range physical attacks. Can you guess what sort of magic it is?"
"If you require only a conjecture."
"That's fine. I'd like to hear what you think, Hayama."
Maya made no attempt to hide her curiosity as she asked him directly.
Maya, who neither took part in actual combat nor often appeared for negotiations, usually stayed shut up in this house. But she did not waste her time. Naturally, she was neither immersed in carnal pleasures nor absorbed in the internet or games. As a member of the Yotsuba, who had been entrusted with the important task of improving the capabilities of magicians, she spent most of her time researching magic.
For her, the news that Tatsuya was developing new magic had simply aroused her curiosity.
"Given that he referred to Angie Sirius's Brionac and named it Baryon Lance, I believe it is a kind of particle cannon that breaks matter down to the level of protons and neutrons before firing them."
"A charged particle cannon?"
"In that case, it would not be new magic, but a reproduction of Brionac. I am sure that is what Lord Tatsuya would say. In my humble opinion, it is highly likely to be a neutron cannon."
"A neutron cannon... Neutron barriers have already reached a perfected state as magic, but given that it's Tatsuya, I'm sure he's taken that into account."
Maya, happily continuing her deductions, made this assertion with an intent expression.
"...Baryon Lance. Why use 'lance' rather than 'rocket,' 'cannon,' or 'gun'?"
This was something Hayama was curious about too, but he had decided how to answer before she asked.
"I cannot say. However, as it will be unveiled at the New Year Celebration, I believe it would be best to observe it in person."
Maya understood that seeing it once would be better than hearing about it a hundred times, and there was no need to investigate it deliberately; observing it firsthand would be more efficient and wiser than continuing to speculate. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being kept in suspense, and she couldn't help asking a spiteful question.
"Why didn't you inquire into the details? I think it would have been a good test of whether that boy is truly obedient."
But this question may have backfired on Maya. Hearing the reproach in Hayama's voice, Maya gave an almost imperceptible shrug.
"It is hardly important enough to be called a purpose."
Seeing Hayama's gaze fixed on her, Maya somehow felt compelled to offer an excuse.
"It isn't because he's my nephew. It's simply that excluding him would be of no benefit to the Yotsuba."
"I believe there would be no harm even if it were because he is your own nephew."
"Hayama..."
Hayama bowed respectfully to Maya, who had spoken his name as though reproaching him. Yet his words were not the apology suited to the occasion. This was a situation that called for something like "I spoke out of turn" or "Please forgive me for saying too much."
But the fact that Hayama did not call his words "too much" was not unrelated to the faint flush on Maya's cheeks.
"Mr. Hayama."
Hayama had left Maya's room and was crossing a courtyard on his way to the separate residence lent to him when someone called to him from behind.
Hayama was not at all unsettled that he had sensed no presence. In this village, it was not unusual for people to possess the skill to blend their presence into the wind or the darkness.
Besides, Hayama was very familiar with the voice speaking to him from behind.
"Lord Kuroba. I couldn't see you and didn't notice you. My deepest apologies."
At least, they were close enough for him to make a sarcastic remark of that sort.
Kuroba Mitsugu, the target of the sarcasm, grimaced in displeasure, but of course he did not express anger over something so minor.
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I forgot I'd erased my presence."
Hayama couldn't tell whether Mitsugu was telling the truth. Since he usually hid himself completely in the shadows, it would not have been strange for it to become a habit. Hayama, on the other hand, thought that if Mitsugu erased his presence without being aware of it, he could not do intelligence work properly unless he blended into a crowd or had some cover.
"No, please don't concern yourself."
But none of that mattered. If Kuroba Mitsugu seriously wanted to hide his presence, Hayama probably wouldn't notice him even if he stood directly in front of him. There was no benefit in getting angry over every little thing with someone who could kill him at any time if he chose. Besides, though that lady was more important, the Kuroba Family was a powerful branch of the Yotsuba, and Mitsugu, as its head, was also one of the people Hayama was obliged to serve. If a master's passing whim put him in a bad mood, he wasn't fit to be a butler.
"Now then, Lord Kuroba, what business do you have with me?"
"Rather than business... there's just something I wanted to say to you, Mr. Hayama."
Hayama's eyebrow twitched. Though he showed displeasure, it was a deliberate display of emotion.
"Something you wanted to say... what do you mean?"
Hayama smiled respectfully.
Mitsugu hurriedly waved both hands in denial.
"No, no, I meant it literally. There's just something I wanted to ask you, and something else I wanted to discuss."
"Please forgive my rudeness just now."
Hayama bowed respectfully in the darkness. There was not the slightest opening through which to glimpse his thoughts.
"Then, this way, please."
Hayama headed toward the main house he had just left. As the head butler serving the Yotsuba Family, he had been granted a degree of freedom to use its reception rooms. Even without that authority, he would not be reprimanded for using a room to hear out the head of the Kuroba Family. If anything, he would be reprimanded for continuing the conversation standing up.
But Mitsugu did not accept Hayama's sensible response.
"No, if you don't mind, Mr. Hayama, let's talk here."
Hayama stopped, turned around, and looked at Mitsugu in surprise.
Mitsugu ignored the suspicion directed at him.
"Were you and the head of the family discussing that man-Zhou Gongjin?"
At Mitsugu's words, Hayama nodded in understanding.
"Since we intervened in your own work, it is only natural that you would be concerned."
"Ah, no..."
His words had been misconstrued in a rather embarrassing way, and Mitsugu hurried to explain.
"However, please don't worry."
But Hayama gave him no chance to do so.
"I am sure I needn't tell you, Lord Kuroba, that Lady Miyuki's guardian is currently being tested."
Mitsugu genuinely grimaced.
"...I know."
The test had not begun in late September, when his children visited Tatsuya, but on that day in August. Because of it, Mitsugu had shown Tatsuya an almost worst-case display of disgrace. Though he was grateful that Tatsuya had saved him from ending up a one-armed man, whether his pride had been dealt a serious blow was another matter.
"I reported on the course of those events. Lady Miyuki is a strong candidate to become the next head of the family. Therefore, determining whether her guardian might raise the banner of rebellion against the Yotsuba is essential for the future of the Yotsuba Family."
Mitsugu's displeasure grew increasingly apparent, but Hayama paid it no mind.
"Because it is a matter of utmost importance, I was well aware that it would be very rude to you, Lord Kuroba, but we chose to use this incident as material for our assessment."
"That man has no loyalty to the Yotsuba Family whatsoever."
Mitsugu spoke as though cursing him. Both the words and the expression were his true feelings, ones he would never show Miyuki or Tatsuya himself.
"Though I do not know what grounds you have for making that assertion, Lord Kuroba..."
Hayama asked with his eyes if Mitsugu would tell him, if it was convenient.
But Mitsugu ignored his gaze.
Hayama, unconcerned, composed his answer in a leisurely tone. These were probably cutting words he could not have said to anyone else.
"Lord Tatsuya does not know that his own family nearly killed him immediately after he was born, so if that is why you harbor such doubts, I believe this is what they call seeing demons in the shadows?"
"Hayama!"
Mitsugu nearly abandoned his respectful attitude toward Hayama.
It was something Mitsugu and the others of his generation had kept silent about. Apart from the seven families with Yotsuba blood-the Shiba, Mashiba, Shibata, Kuroba, Mutsukura, Tsukuba, and Shizuka-Hayama was the only one who knew. Even among those who had inherited Yotsuba blood, no one in their early twenties or younger knew this secret. Faced with such a sneak attack, it was understandable that Kuroba Mitsugu lost his composure.
Hayama met the killing intent directed at him with a respectful smile.
"Even I know that he has no loyalty to the Yotsuba Family, and that this will remain the case. Needless to say, madam has noticed it as well. Knowing that, madam decided to entrust him with Lady Miyuki's safety."
Mitsugu clenched his teeth hard.
The conversation Mitsugu had begun as a probe had, before he knew it, become a denunciation conducted by Hayama.
"Lord Kuroba, loyalty is useless. The only thing that matters is action. Even if one says one thing and means another, so long as one does not betray one's position, expectations, or results, one is still far more useful than a loyal person who produces no results. A tool has no need for loyalty. A weapon has no need for a heart."
"You bastard, are you saying magicians are weapons...!?"
"You may have forgotten, but I am a magician too."
"But compared to everyone else, I'm much more powerless," Hayama said with a cheerful smile.
Mitsugu, meanwhile, was trapped in a heavy silence.
"Weapons feel no fear. Weapons feel no unease. Is the heart of a person who would kill an innocent simply because of that possibility, that unease, truly superior to a weapon?"
Having driven a stake deep into Mitsugu's heart, Hayama bowed and left.
Friday, October 19. There were only ten days left until this year's thesis competition, including today. Preparations for the presentation were finally entering the home stretch.
Unlike last year, no suspicious incidents had occurred at school this year. Last year had simply been unusual, and things had returned to normal this year, but thanks to that, no extra hands had been tied up, and preparations for the event were proceeding smoothly according to plan.
Things around Tatsuya and the others had also remained peaceful and secure over the past ten days. That was probably thanks to the efforts of Yakumo's disciples, along with the covert activities of the mercenary force arranged by Hayama and the butler Hanabishi. Hanabishi was the Yotsuba Family's second-ranked servant, the butler responsible for arranging the various rough jobs requested of the family-including assigning personnel. There was no chance he would slack off at work.
The Yotsuba Family did not actually have many magicians. That was not limited to those of Yotsuba blood; compared with the other Ten Master Clans, the family also had fewer magicians under its command whom it could freely deploy at any time. Needless to say, that was true compared with the Saegusa, but "fewer" was also the more accurate description when compared with the Ichijou and the Itsuwa.
Although the Yotsuba's magicians possessed enough strength to overturn their numerical disadvantage, there were situations where numbers mattered. For such occasions, the Yotsuba had assembled a supply of disposable helpers.
Magicians who had committed serious acts of treason against the nation, or were planning to do so. Magicians who had taken no direct hostile action against the nation but had leaked magically based skills with military applications to foreign powers. The task of eliminating these magicians who had betrayed the nation was usually entrusted to the Yotsuba Family.
This work was an important source of income for the Yotsuba Family. But money was not all the family gained from it; it also acquired combat personnel. They brainwashed the traitorous magicians they captured and used them as pawns.
They did not take away their will like the "Generators" used by No Head Dragon. The Yotsuba Family knew full well that will and emotion were directly linked to the power of magic.
The brainwashing they performed was of the most classical kind. They branded the fear of the Yotsuba into their captives, made them believe that defying the family meant certain death, and rewrote their way of thinking through that fear. From the outset, the Yotsuba had no use for fanatics who truly did not fear death. They dealt only with those who did.
They told them, "Depending on how well you work, we'll let you live and give you back your freedom."
The Yotsuba would then assign various jobs to the mercenary force of magicians, who risked their lives to complete their missions in exchange for their lives. This guard assignment was one where numbers mattered: they were to capture every magician acting suspiciously and bring them back. The Yotsuba Family had deployed their stock of brainwashed magicians in such numbers that they seemed ready to use them all up. Thanks to that, things were almost entirely peaceful not only around Tatsuya's friends but also around First High School.
Even under the pretext of preparing for the thesis competition, female students were not allowed to stay too late at school. It had nothing to do with distinguishing between men and women or discriminating between them; even if male students were allowed to work at night after the school closed, female students were not.
Closing time was approaching today as well. The student council had begun packing up. However, this was the paperless age, and "packing up" was very different from putting books back in drawers and stuffing them into schoolbags a hundred years ago. There was no need to rush; they could get ready to leave in no time.
"...Miyuki, please excuse me for leaving first."
Tomorrow was Saturday, and Miyuki would be taking leave for a business trip to Kyoto. She had requested permission to leave school late so she could prepare the handover document. That was why Izumi was leaving ahead of her.
"Izumi, I'm counting on you tomorrow and the day after. It's in your hands."
"It's an honor! I may not be much, but I'll do everything I can!"
Izumi had been lingering reluctantly at the door, but Miyuki's words instantly sent her home in high spirits.
"You've gotten quite good at handling Izumi, Miyuki."
Honoka, who had switched off her terminal and risen to her feet, gave a wry smile.
"You have a talent for being a wicked woman."
Shizuku, who had come to the student council room to go home with Honoka, added that remark. Objectively speaking, it was not something to be overlooked, but Miyuki, who knew Shizuku meant no harm, merely smiled as she replied.
"Can you really call someone a wicked woman or a good woman when the other person is a girl?"
"...Miyuki, your sins run deep."
Though Shizuku sighed in earnest, Miyuki simply smiled and paid her no mind.
Shizuku's assignment for this year's thesis competition was to guard Azusa, the team's main presenter, but during this period she had been going home with Honoka. They usually walked to the station in a large group that included Azusa, but after the station it was just Shizuku and Honoka. No, there were actually bodyguards protecting them in secret, though they took care to stay out of the girls' sight and hearing. At least in the personal transit car and the automobile, Shizuku was alone with Honoka.
"Hey, Shizuku."
As they waited in line for a personal transit car, Honoka spoke to Shizuku with concern.
"What is it?"
But Shizuku had no idea what she had done to make Honoka worry. Just as she tilted her head and looked at Honoka in puzzlement, a two-seater vehicle stopped in front of them.
They gave a slight greeting to the three people waiting beside them for a four-seater and boarded the car. After holding her pass up to the reader for their chosen destination, Shizuku questioned Honoka again with a look.
"Um... I was just wondering if this was really all right, that's all."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, guarding Nakajou..."
"Oh, that."
With an expression that said, "Is that all?" Shizuku let her shoulders relax.
"Nakajou said so herself."
"She said Chikura alone was enough to guard her on the way to and from school?"
As expected of a close friend, Honoka filled in what Shizuku had left unsaid.
"I suppose it's better when they're in the same year after all."
"Hmm... I understand that. Even with someone in a lower year, you still feel a little constrained when you're not in the same year."
"Though I think Kasumi and Izumi are exceptions."
"Ah, ahaha... But Minami is like that too. How should I put it? It's like there's a wall around her."
"That's true."
Shizuku agreed with Honoka in a single sentence. Naturally so, since Shizuku had been the one to suggest that people were more comfortable with others in the same year.
"Besides, there's nothing to worry about with Chikura there."
"Huh? Ohhh... Come to think of it, Chikura's magic is suited for defense."
"Mm-hm."
Though Honoka had not immediately understood when Shizuku suddenly said there was nothing to worry about, a little thought was enough for her to grasp what Shizuku meant. She really was Shizuku's close friend.
Chikura Asako's specialty was a magic called Vector Reversal. As long as she knew from the outset that she was going to be shot at, her power to interfere with phenomena could potentially deflect an anti-materiel rifle bullet. She could do nothing if caught by a surprise attack-not that this was unique to Asako; the same was true of most magicians-but she was exceptionally strong when faced with a gun pointed at her.
Nor was her magic limited to projectiles. If someone charged at her, she could reverse their momentum too. When it came to an object with the mass of an ordinary passenger car, she could handle it as long as it was not traveling at an extremely high speed, for example, no more than two hundred kilometers per hour.
As Honoka had said, Chikura Asako had the strongest defensive magic capabilities among First High School's guard members this year.
"More importantly, I was going to ask if you're all right, Honoka."
"Huh... What do you mean?"
Shizuku stared intently at Honoka, who looked as though she had no idea what Shizuku meant.
Just then, a message appeared on the personal transit car's window, announcing that they would soon reach their stop.
After saying, "We'll talk later," she turned to face forward.
Shizuku returned to the subject when they were taking a bath after their meal.
"Are you all right, Honoka?"
"Huh, what did you just say? Give me a moment."
Honoka, who had been washing her hair, turned off the shower and faced Shizuku in the tub.
"Mm, let's talk after you've finished washing."
"Okay? I'll be done soon."
Honoka thoroughly rinsed out the shampoo again, then took a towel from a storage shelf covered with a waterproof cloth. She dried the water from her hair, put the soaked towel into a mesh laundry bag, and picked up a bottle of conditioner.
"Shall I do it for you?"
"No, I can do it myself. If I asked you, you'd put so much care into it that it would take forever."
Shizuku climbed out of the tub. Still dripping, she took the bottle of conditioner from Honoka's hand with a touch of force.
"Your hair is long and straight, Honoka. I'm jealous."
Touching Honoka's wet hair, Shizuku let out a soft breath.
"My hair... compared with Miyuki's..."
Faced with the candid compliment, Honoka lowered her head, a little embarrassed.
"There's no point comparing it with Miyuki's,"
Shizuku objected in all seriousness.
"I suppose not."
Honoka also thought the comparison was silly and gave a quiet laugh.
Shizuku gently applied conditioner to Honoka's hair, which she had gathered into small bundles.
"Besides, I like your hair better, Honoka."
"Wh-what!? That's taking favoritism toward family-no, toward friends-way too far!"
Honoka was startled by the opinion Shizuku had let slip, but
"You're my friend, so of course I'd favor you."
Shizuku's response, playing along with the mistake, left her speechless.
"Besides, if we're talking about my preferences, Miyuki's hair color is a little too dark."
In contrast, Shizuku was unusually eloquent.
"I prefer your bright, beautiful hair, Honoka."
"Y-you do?... Thank you."
It was unclear whether Shizuku heard the last words, which Honoka murmured softly.
For a little while, Shizuku silently applied conditioner to Honoka's hair, and Honoka silently let Shizuku tend to it.
Shizuku picked up the showerhead.
Honoka squeezed her eyes shut.
Shizuku rinsed Honoka's hair evenly, using the pressure of the shower to wash away the conditioner.
Shizuku returned to the subject she had raised in the tub only after she had finished washing Honoka's hair as promised.
Honoka and Shizuku settled into the tub facing each other. The bathroom in Shizuku's home was large; although it was only the second bathroom, it had twice the floor space of one in an ordinary home. The tub was correspondingly spacious, with plenty of room even for two people.
"Honoka."
"Hmm?"
"Are you all right, Honoka?"
"Huh, what do you mean? You said that earlier too..."
Shizuku stared at Honoka's face again.
Once she had decided that Honoka apparently was not playing dumb, Shizuku began to ask more specific questions.
"Are you all right staying behind in Tokyo, Honoka? Don't you want to go to Kyoto?"
Honoka drew in a sharp breath and froze.
The water against their skin was no different in temperature. But Honoka's rigid body and expression gave Shizuku the illusion of a chill.
"That's..."
"Sorry, I was being insensitive."
Shizuku looked away from Honoka, whose lips had even turned pale.
"...It's all right. You've always supported me, Shizuku, so of course you'd wonder."
After asking Shizuku to give her a moment, Honoka took several deep breaths. As she calmed down, color returned to her face.
"Phew... Shizuku, I'm all right now. You can turn around."
At Honoka's urging, Shizuku looked back. Once again, they faced each other.
"To be honest, of course I want to go to Kyoto with Tatsuya. I wouldn't be so greedy as to ask for it to be just the two of us. I wouldn't mind if Miyuki came too. As long as I could be with Tatsuya, that would be enough for me."
"...Then why?"
"Because I'd only hold him back."
Shizuku stared at Honoka's face, taken aback by the unexpected answer.
Then Honoka gave a faint, somewhat lonely smile.
"You noticed too, didn't you, Shizuku? Tatsuya told me to stay at your house, but it wasn't because of the thesis competition."
Understanding flickered in Shizuku's eyes.
"After all, Tatsuya is genuinely worried about us. Whoever's after the thesis competition materials is someone we need to be on guard against. They can't possibly be ordinary petty thieves. I think they're a troublesome enemy, like the ones last year."
"Honoka, do you think Tatsuya is on a mission?"
Shizuku hugged her shoulders and shivered.
Honoka pushed through the hot water to move beside her.
Sitting side by side like this, they found even the custom-made tub a little cramped after all.
Still pressed against her, Honoka put an arm around Shizuku's shoulders.
Shizuku then lowered the arms she had wrapped around her own shoulders.
"Yeah... It looks like Tatsuya is on a mission for the National Defense Force. And I think the opponent is a fairly large organization. Large enough that we can't rule out being taken hostage."
"So that's why he arranged bodyguards for you?"
"Not just me. By assigning guards to me, he's protecting you too, since you're with me. I think it's the same reason he asked Yoshida to stay with Mizuki. Yoshida is every bit as capable as a professional."
"Lucky us."
"Really."
The two naked girls embraced and giggled.
But Honoka's laughter soon faded.
After Honoka stopped laughing, Shizuku fell silent too.
"I think inspecting security is only a side task on this trip to Kyoto. He must have some other, real objective. Depending on how things develop, there could be a serious fight. Everyone Tatsuya chose to go with him tomorrow is suited for actual combat. Minami has that barrier magic too, so she can help if things go wrong."
"I don't think you're any slouch either, Honoka."
"No, I can't do it. Supporting him from a distance is one thing, but if we came under direct attack, I'd only hold Tatsuya back..."
By the standards of ordinary magicians, Honoka's combat ability was by no means low. Among high school students, at least, it would not have been an exaggeration to call her first-rate. But compared with Miyuki, who was exceptional even by ordinary standards, and Tatsuya, who, judged purely on combat ability, was unquestionably first-rate or better even as a military magician, not even Shizuku, her close friend, could deny that Honoka was one or two levels lower in direct combat ability. So Shizuku could offer no further comfort.
"That's why it's all right."
Honoka held the head of her close friend, who had fallen into an awkward silence.
Above the hot water, nearly half of Shizuku's face was buried in Honoka's chest.
"Honoka, I can't breathe," Shizuku said, her words muffled.
"Ah!?"
Honoka immediately gave a ticklish squeal and released her grip on Shizuku's head.
Once her mouth and nose were free, Shizuku drew a deep breath.
Rather than look at Honoka's face, Shizuku glared resentfully at her chest.
"S-sorry!"
Honoka covered her chest and pressed herself against the edge of the tub as she apologized.
Then both of them burst out laughing at the same time.
In that instant, the awkward atmosphere vanished without a trace.
"Shizuku, I'm sorry."
"I should be the one saying that. I'm sorry."
"No, Shizuku, you only said that because you were thinking of me. I just told you there was no need to apologize."
Honoka smiled as she said it, without a trace of resentment.
"Honestly, I want to go to Kyoto too. But I really don't want to hold everyone back, either. So I'll stay here in Tokyo this time. Since Tatsuya doesn't want me to notice, I'll pretend I haven't. I'll let him fool me, just the way he wants."
Hearing Honoka's words, Shizuku smiled, her heart warmed.
"Honoka, you really are a wonderful woman."
Honoka's composed demeanor crumbled in an instant.
"W-what are you talking about!?"
"If I were a guy, I'd never leave you alone, Honoka."
"Um... Miss Shizuku? Your eyes are looking a little scary, you know?"
"You have a great figure too... and your face is so approachable and cute..."
Shizuku's slender fingers kept stroking Honoka's chin.
"Um, Shizuku!? You're kind of like Eimi right now!?"
"Hmph. My chest is bigger than Eimi's."
"That's not the point!"
"Are you trying to say there's hardly any difference compared to yours?"
"I didn't say that!"
"Let me see."
"Aah!"
"...I knew, but it's still not fair."
"W-wait, Shizuku, please, stop..."
...What exactly happened then was too much to put into words. But let this much be said: that day, both of them stayed in the bath until they were completely dizzy.